Mpox Disease Presents Complex Risks

AFP/APP

Paris: As global concerns over mpox continue to rise, even seemingly straightforward questions—such as the level of danger it poses and the differences between its variants—remain complex and without clear answers.

In July, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared an international health emergency due to the spread of mpox, a disease that first appeared in humans around 1970 in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

For decades, the illness—formerly known as “monkeypox”—was confined to a few African countries, with mortality rates ranging from one to 10 percent of those infected.

However, since 2022, when mpox began spreading to other parts of the world, particularly Western countries, the situation has changed. In these newly affected regions, the mortality rate has been significantly lower, around 0.2 percent.

Several factors likely contribute to this difference. One key factor is the access to swift and appropriate medical care in Western countries, which contrasts sharply with the healthcare available in many African nations.